The 15th inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series last fall had an unlikely star: Humpy the pink salmon.
In between innings at Seattle Mariners' games at T-Mobile Park, participants dressed as different salmon species race along the outfield warning track.
The pink salmon had gone two full seasons without a victory in the race. But on that October night, Humpy won. A few moments later the Mariners did, too, advancing in the playoffs.
The Salmon Run seemed like a natural fit for Seattle-based Brooks Running, which became its official shoe sponsor this week.
"We had so many people text and ping each one of us at Brooks saying, ‘Hey, you should do something with the Mariners,'” said Melanie Allen, Brooks Running’s chief marketing officer. "We were already in discussions."
Brooks has called the Seattle area home for more than three decades, but Allen said over the past two years the running shoe company has put more marketing dollars into local events, organizations and sports teams, including sponsorship deals with the Seattle Kraken and now the Mariners.
"When you think of Seattle, you think of Starbucks, you think of Microsoft, you think of Amazon. We also want people to think of Brooks,” Allen said.
Another playoff sensation from last year was the “Rally Shoe Cam,” a tradition in which Mariners fans put a "rally shoe" on their heads and posed for the video board. The cam will also feature the Brooks name and logo this season.
And the company, which invests $2 million each year in youth running programs, is also sponsoring the “Kids Run the Bases” promotion at M’s games.
The Mariners open their 50th season in Seattle on Thursday night.
